After War
by rosebellethewriter
Summary: Its been a year since the war with New France ended. To help unite the kingdom, King Julius decides to host a Selection for his son, Prince Noah. Prince Noah, however, has other plans, and wants nothing to do with the Selection. SYOC Closed
1. Chapter 1

Hey! I'm Rose Belle, or Rose. This is my SYOC that I've been meaning to write, so I do it now, when I have lots of homework and quite a few tests coming up that I should most definitely study for, but whatever. Procrastination is the best.

There's lots of things to cover, so I'm sorry if this first 'chapter' seems a bit scatterbrained. I'm going to try to keep it as organized as possible.

First things first:

**A bit of backstory:**

For sixteen years, New France and Illea were at war over trading rights with New Asia. A year ago, they finally ended it, with Illea getting the trading rights. As an insurance to try and keep another war from happening, New France suggested that they 'trade' a royal from each kingdom. New France sends a royal to Illea, and Illea sends one to New France.

During the war, the king spent money carelessly, and now the kingdom is having to suffer from it.

It's been a year since the trade, and Illea is slowly, but surely, recovering from the war. The kingdom is wounded, and the king wants to host a Selection to help heal it.

**Cast of Characters:**

Crown Prince Noah Xavier Julius Schreave: Noah is twenty years old. Growing up in a time of war, you'd think it would mature him into being a good leader and careful spender. But instead, it seems to have done the opposite. He spends money carelessly, and does what he wants, when he wants. He doesn't seem to care about anyone but himself. Half the country seems to loathe him for his recklessness, and the other half seems to love him for his 'whatever' attitude. {Faceclaim: Tom Holland}

Princess Isabella Delilah Francesca Schreave: Isabella is twenty-five years old, and is the polar opposite of her brother. In the trade, she was sent to France. She took it all in a graceful manner, and humbly went without a fight. She is very kind, and misses her family dearly. She is, in every way, the perfect princess. The country also has mixed feelings for her. Some think she's the perfect princess, whereas others think she wanted to go to France and hate her for living with the enemy. {Faceclaim: Emma Watson}

Queen Delilah Georgia Schreave: Delilah was a five before the Selection, and loved to play the piano. Although she is quiet, she loves to hold parties full of extravagant food and loves to play piano. The country loves her and sees her as one of them because she was a five, even though she can be held accountable for part of the spending. {Faceclaim: Carice Van Houten}

King Julius Charles Arthur Schreave: Julius is a very boisterous man. He loves to hold parties, and loves people. Truly, he does care for his kingdom- he just doesn't exactly know how to manage it. He holds great parties- all the time. The upper castes love him because he'll favor him, and the lower castes hate him because he spends carelessly. {Faceclaim: Robert Downey Junior}

Princess Esme Paris Celeste Reigna: Esme, at age seventeen, is the French royal whom lives in Illea. She misses her home very much, and is angry at her mother for sending her away. Esme is a socialite, and is constantly out and about, going to this party and that. Her and Queen Delilah clash a lot, because Delilah doesn't like Esme's wild, out of control parties, and is trying to get Esme to be more tame. Delilah also thinks that Esme is a bad influence on Noah- when it's actually the other way around. The country hates her, seeing her as the enemy. They also suspect there might be something going on between her and Noah. {Faceclaim: Scarlett Leithold}

Crown Princess Dominique Camille Ella Reigna: Dominique is the heir to the French throne, and lives in France. She's twenty-four, and her and Isabella get along very well. She's very cold hearted, and uses her head, not her heart. {Faceclaim: Marina Laswick}

Queen Camille Celeste Ella Reigna: Camille is the queen of France, and is a great leader. She loves her daughters, but puts the country over them, leading her daughters to resent her. She is loved by her people, but not by Illea. {Faceclaim: Scarlett Johansson}

Okay... I think that's it, for now. The link to the form and my Pinterest account (where I'll have all the boards) are below. I'll try to have the actual first chapter up later on today. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. I'll have the links on my profile, and please, please read the rules before you start to fill out the form. (copy and paste the links, deleting the spaces)

Pinterest: www. pinterest rosebelle03wr /

Form: docs. google document /d / 1pcBu6PtVOx9Z0HMF3TSlq1f34IVtBiEw9CexyZ1jEok /edit ? usp = sharing

Also, I won't be updating this story every week. I have school, and cross-country (practice and/or meets every day except Sunday, so I'm a tad bit busy), and I hang out with friends a lot. But I promise I'm not going to abandon this story. I'll be with it to the end, even if it goes to fifty chapters. It might take six months, or six weeks, depending on how much homework I have (it's not going to take six weeks), but I won't abandon this story.

Also, I'll have lots of questions throughout the story, so please stay tuned for those. I know the form looks long and daunting, but it's mostly just bracketed stuff of me explaining what I want for each question.

Thanks for reading this disaster of a first chapter, and please, stick around for the next one, which I'll try to have soon!


	2. Chapter 2

**Aaaaand I'm back! I'm currently writing this while procrastinating doing homework that I should really do, because the test is in two days and I have absolutely no idea what I'm ****doing, and I'm going to fail and my straight a's will all go to straight c's and I'm panicking and I really should be studying, but enough about me! Let's get to the story. It's gonna be in third person. I actually have some semblance of a plot, so let's see how long I stick to that... **

**Los Angeles, Illea**

It was a beautiful day outside, Noah decided. And yet here he was... Inside another party.

Seriously. Did his mother have anything other to do than throw parties?

Don't get him wrong, he loved a good party... But not a boring-ass party like this.

Noah sighed deeply, running a hand through his already messy brown hair. He grabbed his phone to text Esme.

**Noah:** Where are you  
**Esme**: in bed  
**Esme:** y  
**Noah:** YOU'VE BEEN IN BED ALL FUCKING DAY  
**Esme:** and  
**Noah:** My mom is going to kill you if you don't come to this party  
**Esme:** lol  
**Esme:** you say that like i care  
**Esme:** no way am i suffering through another one of her boring ass parties with you  
**Esme:** bye

Noah frowned at his phone and sighed again. It looked like he was going to have to suffer alone, again. It was only Thursday, and this was the third party his parents had held... This week. And so far, it was the third party her royal highness Esme had managed to miss.

"Why are you frowning, darling?" Noah heard his mother ask delicately. Noah quickly shoved his phone into the pocket of his suit and looked up.

"I don't want to be here," He told his mom flatly. Queen Delilah frowned, furrowing her dark brown. She opened her mouth to talk, when Noah stood abruptly. "I'm leaving. Bye," Noah muttered. He quickly exited the room, and he heard the constant chatter flourish to a stop, and then he heard the whispers.

It was nothing he had never heard before, and he quickly shook it off.

He immediately went to Esme's room, located on the third floor. He hesitated at the door, thinking about knocking.

All the sudden the door swung open, revealing a pale girl with long blond hair and contrasting dark brown eyes.

"You're so predictable," Esme muttered with her thick French accent. She turned on her heel, whipping her long hair in Noah's face.

Noah couldn't help but grin as he followed her into her room.

Esme was sprawled out on her bed, phone in her hand. She shot a glare over her shoulder as Noah found a spot on the couch. Noah just smirked at her, knowing that would just infuriate her.

"Did you see the newest cover on _Illea Weekly_?" Esme asked, suddenly losing the French accent. She spoke English perfectly, without an accent, but preferred to do it only around Noah, for some reason that completely baffled him. Noah shook his head, and Esme rolled her eyes. "Of course you didn't." She grumbled. She tossed a magazine at him, which hit him square in the face.

_Prince Noah and Princess Esme: 'Just Friends', or Something More?_ The cover said. Noah snorted.

"Finally, they're getting the real coverage," Noah laughed, rubbing his head. He could go for a drink right now. He looked Esme in the eyes. "They're catching onto us," he said, and Esme smirked.

**Paris, New France**

Isabella looked at the clock again. Five more minutes to wait until Dominique got here. Only five more minutes, Isabella figured she could wait that long.

After what seemed like an eternity, Dominique finally walked in. With her hair curled and in a very pretty white dress, Isabella's heart nearly fluttered to a stop.

Isabella's heart did stop once Dominique smiled at her. Isabella could feel her cheeks flush and she looked down at her toes.

"Hello darling," Dominique said, embracing Isabella. Isabella wrapped her arms around Dominique's neck. "I missed you," Dominique smiled as Isabella nodded her head in agreement.

**If you're confused on Esme's and Noah's relationship, don't worry, I did that on purpose.**

**For the first ten or so chapters, the story will be moving kinda slow... But stick with me, it'll get better, I promise! Thanks for reading, have a wonderful day!**

**Also, because I have so much schoolwork, it might be a few days before the next chapter comes out. I also have to keep the story under wraps, because if my parents find out I'm writing a lesbian couple, I am dead. Shhhh!**

**Once again, thanks for reading, and have a great day!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone! A special thanks to anyone who's shown interest in my story, it means a lot!**

**I am currently super tired but also can't sleep because anxiety so I'm gonna try to write and if it doesn't make any sense I apologize in advance.**

Noah stumbled into the room. His cheeks were flushed, his hair a mess, his black suit ruffled, and his equally black tie hastily knotted at his throat.

"Stupid _ivre_," Esme muttered fondly, walking over to him as he collapsed on the floor of the royal's dining room. Her heels clicked loudly on the marble floor as King Julius and Queen Delilah watched with a matching scowl on both their faces.

Noah groaned as Esme grabbed his arm and started pulling him up.

"No, leave me alone," he muttered. Esme smacked the back of his head, and he just sighed.

"Get up,_ ivre_, your parents are watching!" she hissed at him, tugging up once more. Noah stood up unsteadily, heavily leaning on the much smaller girl to support him.

Esme helped Noah to his room, cursing at him in French the whole time.

"It is one thing to go get drunk," Esme snapped, "and it is another to go in front of your parents and pass out, you stupid _ivre_!"

"I did not pass out," Noah mumbled, stumbling along. Esme cussed at him, this time in English. "And what does _ivre_ mean anyways?" Noah murmured, horribly mispronouncing the French word.

"Drunk, it means drunk." Esme sighed, rubbing her head with her free hand as Noah chuckled.

**One day later**

Noah arrived to the set of the _Report_ on time, hair gelled, suit wrinkle-free.

Needless to say, everyone was shocked.

Esme was a few seconds behind him, in wicked tall silver heels, a pink, lacy dress, and just a simple silver crown.

Queen Delilah frowned when Esme came in, just like she always did.

Esme rolled her eyes, just like she always did. Honestly, she couldn't stand that woman.

A few minutes later, the camera was rolling.

It was only a few minutes into the _Report_ and Noah was already bored out of his mind. Blah blah blah, he already got lectured about all of this in a meeting his dad forced him to come to, sitting through it for another half an hour was just so boring. Nothing of importance was here. He couldn't wait until this was over.

Noah fazed out for a few minutes, until he felt Esme kick his shins.

_Pay attention_, she was saying, so he did. She was usually right about when he needed to pay attention.

"-a special announcement," his dad was saying. "Prince Noah will soon be holding a Selection- forms are being sent out as we speak."

What. Noah almost laughed out loud.

A Selection.

His dad was putting Noah, one of the biggest playboys in Illea, in a competition with thirty-five girls, all competing for his hand in marriage?

This should be fun.

Noah smiled widely, happiness bubbling inside him at the very prospect of a Selection.

Honestly, why didn't he think of an idea like that before?


	4. Chapter 4

**Sup, guys. I'm hoping to have this chapter to be a little bit longer to make up for the last chapter's lack of longness. yeah that's a word now**

**Likely - Marseille Pritchett**

Marseille laughed loudly, her laughter echoing off of the walls of one of her best friend's Oliver's basement. Marseille's three best friends, Oliver 'Ollie', Louise, and Alexis quickly joining in.

"Marcy," Alexis giggled, "can you imagine? Prince Noah, holding a _Selection?_ Oh, this is going to end up in flames!" They were all watching the _Report_, after having a few drinks.

The whole group erupted into laughter again.

"You should definitely sign up, Marcy," Alexis laughed. Marcy rolled her eyes, smirking.

"Totally," Marcy muttered sarcastically, snorting. That _definitely_ sounded like something she'd do.

**The next day...**

Marcy went to visit her sister, Giselle. Giselle was in her bedroom, just sitting on her bed.

Marcy's heart ached. She missed her sister from before Kendall, her sister's late husband died. Her sister then was kind and optimistic.

But now, Giselle was too depressed to talk most of the time. There was such a dramatic change in her, and it upset Marcy on a level she couldn't express.

Silently, Marcy sat next to Giselle, putting her arm around Giselle's shoulder.

Marcy would do _anything_ to help her sister get better.

Marcy gave her sister a kiss on the cheek, and headed downstairs to her parents, who were sitting in the kitchen at the kitchen table, each reading a separate newspaper.

"Mother, Father," Marcy greeted her parents. They didn't even look up from their papers.

"Hello Marseille," her dad said. Marcy took a seat at the table, folding her hands neatly.

"We need to get Giselle some help. She's only gotten worse as time has progressed." Marcy said bluntly. This wasn't the first time she had made this request, and it probably wouldn't be the last. Her dad put the paper down, raising his eyebrows at her.

"I've been talking to your mother about this-" her dad said, looking at her mom, who had also put her paper down, "-and we have agreed that since you keep on insisting that your sister be taken to a private institution, she will- on one condition." Marcy's relief was short lived, and she grew weary.

"What is it?" Marcy asked, secretly knowing she'd do anything. She wouldn't tell her parents that, or they would exploit it against her.

"After the war, your mother's and I's expertise is... less valued than what it was," her dad started, sounding disgusted at the very thought that what he did wasn't the most important thing ever. "So, in order to insure that our family name stays relevant, I need you to join the Selection."

Marcy's heart sunk at the very prospect. All she wanted to do was become a surgeon. But... if it meant getting help for her sister, it was worth it.

"Fine," Marcy said, with a grim kind of determination. "I'll do it."

**Sonage - Leona Grace Soladar**

Leona breathed the smell of freshly baked chocolate chip muffins in as she opened the oven at home. She couldn't help but smile as she took the pan out of the oven and set it on the cutting board, taking her oven mitts off and hooking them on their designated hook.

"Good morning, Leo," Leona's grandmother, Catarina, greeted her from the doorway of the kitchen.

"Good morning, Grandma Cat," Leona said, turning and smiling at her grandmother. A strand of Leona's chocolate brown hair fell in her face, and Leona tucked it behind her ear.

"And what are you making this morning?" Catarina asked, her gray/red hair shining in the morning light. Catarina took a seat at the old oak wood table in the dining room and looked through the mail they had gotten.

"Chocolate muffins," Leona answered, setting out plates for the both of them. Leona loved life at her grandmother's house. Ever since she had come to live with her, Leona's life had been filled with peace, love, and stability. "I figured you and I could have some and then I could bring the rest to The Mermaid's Kiss." The Mermaid's Kiss was a teahouse Leona and one of her friends owned. Leona worked as the pastry chef there, and loved her job.

"You got a Selection letter,' Catarina started, handing the letter to Leona after Leona finished serving them both and sat down at the table. Minnie, Catarina's black and white cat, gently leaped onto the table and took a seat, surveying Leona and Catarina seriously.

Leona gently set the letter to the side, beginning to eat her muffin.

"I think you should join," Catarina continued. Leona set her muffin down, looking at her grandmother, confused.

"Why?" Leona asked. She was curious on to why her grandmother wanted her to join.

"Well," her grandmother began, "I know you're afraid, after your parents divorced. I know you're afraid that that could happen to you. But it's not good to live in fear, my little lion. And, you can't stay alone forever," her grandmother said with a wink. Leona laughed.

"I can't argue with that, Grandma Cat," Leona admitted, and began to fill out the form.

**Later that day**

"Today's been pretty busy, right Leo?" Leona's friend, Amara, asked. There was finally a lull in the day, and Amara, or Mara, was tying her frizzy hair back.

"Yeah, it really has. I've been meaning to tell you something, but I haven't had the time," Leona started. "Grandma Cat convinced me to sign up for the Selection." Leona said casually. Mara's eyes widened, and a smile broke her face.

"No way! That's amazing, Leo!" Mara shrieked. Leona smiled, back, her dimples showing.

"Thanks! I figure it can help get some more business, and it's chance to face my fear. Although I don't really think I'll find love," Leona admitted.

**Angeles - Prince Noah**

Noah was laying on his bed, scrolling through his and his sister's old messages.

Noah missed his sister so much. Ever since she left, it had driven him to do more and more wild and out of control things, to fill the void left within him.

Ugh, that was so cliche. He hated it. He hated every bit of this situation. He wished he was normal, in a normal family. With parents who weren't royals. With a sister who was still with him.

He didn't know if he'd ever see his sister again. She and Dominique were in a pretty serious relationship, and a marriage would definitely cement Illea's and New France's alliance.

He still remembered when his sister came out to him and admitted she was dating Dominique.

He scrolled to the texts, just wanting to read them because nostalgia.

**Isabella:** I like my coffee like I like my men

**Noah:** But you don't like coffee?

**Isabella:** Exactly

**Noah:** ?

**Isabella:** I'm gay

**Noah:** Oh

**Noah:** Good for you

**Noah:** That's actually probably better men are trash

**Isabella:** Lol I know

**Isabella:** Yeah and I'm dating Dominique now

**Noah:** She's not good enough for you

Noah laughed until he cried and turned his phone off, clutching it tightly in his hand.

He missed his sister so bad. It was a pain that never seemed to go away, day or night.

He turned his phone back on and went to text Esme.

**Noah:** I miss Isabella

**Esme:** i know

**Esme**: im sorry

**Esme:** i miss dominique too if that helps

**Esme:** but theres nothing we can do about it

**Noah:** That didn't help, how tf would that help

**Esme:** sorry

**Esme:** but havent you learned by now im not a very helpful person darling

Noah wished he could Facetime Isabella, like he had done last night. But it was four in the morning in France, despite it being seven pm where he was. He didn't want to wake her up.

So he settled on missing his sister, remembering when him and her made cookies in the kitchen and accidentally set the whole kitchen on fire.

Yeah... his parents weren't too happy.

He wished Isabella was _here_, so he could make new memories instead of reliving old ones.

But you don't always get what you wish for, and Noah knew that.

**Hello all! Yes, this is another exhaustion-driven chapter. I'm starting to think that all my chapters will be like this, so sorry.**

**I'm also super salty because this chapter was almost 1.5k but then the website decided to hate me soooo it's shorter than I wanted it to be, but it's fine, whatever.**

**Thanks to Sylea for Leona, and mnbvcxz-xx for Marseille! **

**And thanks for all the support in the reviews and Discord! It means a lot!**

**Until next time!**


	5. Chapter 5

**First of all, I'm really, really sorry I haven't been able to post, I've just been really busy. Without any further ado, I'm going to jump into the story. This chapter isn't super long, just sort of a teaser chapter before I really kick off the story.**

**Angeles, the Royal Palace, Prince Noah**

Noah rolled over in his bed, not wanting to get out of bed. He'd been in bed all day, and his mother had come and tried to get him four times already. Each time, he'd ignored her, as well as ignoring the guilty twinge he got at ignoring his mother.

He just_ really_ didn't want to get out of bed.

Because if he got out of bed, that'd mean he'd have to accept the fact that it was Friday.

_Report_ day.

And while he was so incredibly excited, he was so incredibly, well, not.

His whole life was about to be turned upside down.

In fact, his whole world had already been turned upside down. In just two short weeks from the Report, life had been living _hell_.

For one thing, the media attention he had gotten was unbelievable; for another, it was really hard to sneak out of the palace because of the increase in security. It almost made sneaking out not worth it to Noah.

Almost.

A sharp rap rang on Noah's bedroom door, and Noah jumped a little. He saw the doorknob turn, but his door was locked.

"Noah Xavier Julius Schreave, let me in right now or you will regret it," Esme's voice was slightly muffled through Noah's thick oak door. Noah, in reply, just rolled over and covered his head with his pillow. "Now." There was a dangerous note in her voice, and Noah rolled out of his bed and stumbled to the door, opening the door to her.

"What?" He muttered, irritated at her for making him get out of bed. He leaned against the door frame, glaring down at the considerably shorter French girl, who was glaring back with just as much, if not more, ferocity.

"The _Report_ is starting in _ten minutes_ and you're still in bed, and you are supposed to be announcing the Selected. Get changed. Now." Esme snapped, storming off

Noah took a deep breath as he watched Esme march off, her blonde hair wavy and a soft blue dress flowing behind her.

He hurried up and got changed into an all black suit he had laid out. He quickly just ran his fingers through his hair- the ladies liked it nice and messy anyways, he reasoned.

He hurried up and practically ran to the _Report_ room, making it just as the announcer was saying 'five, four, three, two, one... Action!' he made it to his seat on one. Esme gave him an ice cold glare, one that he quickly reciprocated.

He tuned out while the _Report_ host went over the usual stuff, blah blah blah, he _really_ didn't care about this shit.

He, however, really wanted to know who the thirty-five girls competing for his hand would be.

He also, really, really didn't want to know who they would be.

He was... Confused to say the least.

Because on one hand, the sooner he knew, the sooner he could meet all of them, the sooner he could start dating all of them (he gets to date thirty-five girls at once and doesn't get in trouble? What?!), ect.

But on the other hand, the sooner he knew, the sooner it would all happen... And the sooner he'd have to go through the whole thing... without his sister. He wished she was here next to him. He _needed_ her there next to him. She made him stronger, and it hurt like hell for her not to be there with him.

"And for the moment I'm sure you've all been waiting for..." The Report host, Veronica, a girl he'd gotten drunk with and possibly slept with (he couldn't remember) on a number of occasions, snapped him back into reality. "The moment where... We announce... The Selected!"

Noah smiled crookedly at the cameras before rising to join Veronica. Veronica was smiling at him, and he smiled back.

"So, we're going to start with Angeles, our very own province!" Veronica cheered. She was always so damn happy, he didn't know how. He walked over to a clear crystal ball containing all of the names of the girls who entered the Selection.

He reached in, grabbed a white slip of paper with only slightly sweaty hands, and opened it up.

He took a breath.

"The Selected from Angeles is-" Noah started.

**Thank you thank you thank you for reading! I know it's been awhile (I've been so busy) but I'm hoping to update more regularly. I actually hope to update every Tuesday (Central Daylight Time), and hopefully I'll be able to do that. And then after awhile, once I get more in the habit of writing, I'll hopefully update two times a week. **

**Yes, I fully recognize this chapter is shorter, and for that, I'm sorry, it's just a teaser chapter, as I said before. **

**If you have a reservation, please submit your girl before the 28th of October in Central Daylight Time. If you want to submit a character, great, I just won't take any reservations.**


	6. Chapter 6

**I loved the teaser last chapter, I hope you loved it too ;) I know, I know, I know, I'm so sorry, I took way to long to update this chapter.**

"-Eloise Violet Moreau, caste three, age twenty," Noah stated the Selected from Angeles. A very pretty, very pale girl popped up on one of the numerous screens surrounding him. She had whitish blonde hair and ice blue eyes, and that was all he could see before the picture vanished and he was back on screen.

Dazed by the fact it was really happening, he was really choosing the Selected, Noah picked the next few girls without really noticing who he was really picking.

He finally snapped out of his daze when Veronica lightly bumped into him, knowing him well enough to know what was happening. He gave her a subtle, grateful nod before he picked the next girl.

He was picking the girls at random, because he enjoyed being sporadic. Because that's just who he was.

"Grace Catherine Bennet, caste five, age nineteen, from Kent," Noah announced. A youngish looking teenager with curly blonde hair with a white streak popped up on screen. She looked a tad bit messy.

"Madeleine Lucretia Nixon, caste three, age twenty, from Atlin," Now that was a name Noah remembered. Her family supplied most of the weapons in the French-Illean War. Now that was a name he'd remember. He inwardly grimaced, while his smile remained fixed on his face.

"Marseille Pritchett, age twenty-one, caste three, from Likely" Noah almost flat out frowned at the screen as he saw who was on. She actually looked a lot like Princess Dominique- almost more mean and harsh, if that was possible. He felt bad for Esme, because now she was going to have to have this girl in the palace as a constant reminder of her sister. Maybe she should just eliminate her immediately... Also, her name made him laugh inwardly. According to Esme, that town had kind of a bad reputation in France.

"Leona Grace Solador, age twenty-one, caste four, from Sonage" For the first time in a while, it seemed, he gave a real smile at the camera. This girl just _looked_ nice, and sweet, and kind... He was looking forward to getting to know her.

"Catalina Perez, age eighteen, caste six, from Honduragua" Finally, someone of lower caste. Mostly the girls were threes and fours, and he was looking forward to some diversity. She was also, like, super pretty. She was the first redhead he'd seen so far, too.

"Kalea Cveta Zoric-Mahi'ai, caste three, age twenty-one, from Columbia" This girl was the second Polynesian girl in the Selection (which was pretty sick) and she kind of had these childish features to her... but once again, in a cute way. She also had some really cool piercings.

All of these girls were cute, it seemed. How was he going to choose?

"Sujin Désirée Martin, caste five, age twenty, from Labrador" Noah announced. Once again, a name he remembered. She was one of the members of a K-Pop band Esme listened to, and Esme told him all about it when the whole drama with their band broke out. She was Korean, obviously, and had cool hair that went from a brown to a cool silverish grayish color.

"Naomi Arabelle Donnelly, age twenty, caste five, from Clermont," This girl, with her blonde hair and light blue eyes with freckles, just looked like an artist. From the way she held herself to the way she looked at the camera, she gave off this vibe that she was an artist. It also didn't hurt that she had paint on her clothes.

**Later that night...**

Esme laughed at something her boyfriend, Nigel, had said. She was feeling strangely empty now. After Noah had gone to his room to sulk, she decided that instead of crying about how her life was 'so miserable' she'd go out and have some fun. Yes, she was having fun, but she also felt... Empty.

Nigel put his arm around her, and she smiled up at him. Even in her six inch heels she wasn't near as tall as he was.

"Looking hot, Esme!" Her best friend of all time (except _possibly_ Noah) drawled as she walked up and slapped Esme right in the ass.

"Hey, watch it! That's my ass!" Nigel said. Esme quickly returned the gesture to Bella (aka her best friend).

"Anyways, where did you get that dress? I want to wear it when I get to meet Noah," Bella said with a wink.

Bella was one of the Selected, and she technically lived in Tammins, although she had been living with her boyfriend, Kyle (Nigel and Kyle haha.)

Esme looked down at her black, sequined dress with wide sleeves that closed once they got to the wrist and a skirt so short it barely touched her thighs.

"I... honestly forgot where I got it," Esme laughed. Bella rolled her eyes, a playful smile on her lips.

"Dumbass," she laughed. A sudden thought popped into her head, and she leaned more into Kyle.

"So... What are you and Kyle going to do now that you've been Selected?" Esme asked carefully. Bella just laughed, like Bella always did. She didn't worry about anything.

"We already broke it off, with the intention of if I lose, we'll hook up again," Bella said offhandedly. Kyle, who had just walked over, nodded.

"Damn, you got it all figured out." Esme said, as she grabbed a glass of wine off of the nearest waiter's tray. She downed it immediately, and pulled her hair loose. She was tired of all this Selection bullshit. It was time to have some real fun. Bella, sensing what was about to happen, grinned widely and pulled her curly dark brown hair out of the ponytail it was in.

"Let's go party!" Esme cheered.

**I can imagine no matter how much I say 'I'll post regularly' you're not going to believe me, and you're right. I'm done trying to bullshit you guys, as well as myself.**

**Well, here's the new chapter, I hope you enjoyed it! I am also super sorry about the long delay. I could bore you with a hundred excuses on why it took this long, but I'm just going to leave it as it is.**


	7. Chapter 7

**What up peeps? I'm slowly dying I've decided, enjoy this next chapter!**

Noah sighed, looking at the papers. It had been a week since he announced the Selected, and a select (ha) few of them would be arriving today.

Right now, he was supposed to be arranging them into groups. These groups would eat together, go to the stupid 'Princess classes' together, get ready for balls together, and all that fun stuff.

He was actually supposed to have done this a week ago. When his father heard he hadn't done it, it put him in an unusually sour mood.

His mother didn't care, his mother was more preoccupied with the fact Esme's boyfriend Nigel, was found in Esme's bed Saturday morning. Whether or not they actually did anything was debatable. He didn't think they did, that was the one point where Esme drew the line. But who knew.

"How far are you?" Noah's head snapped up at the sound of Esme's voice. He put his head in his hands as a reply. "I'll take that as you're not done at all. Oh, _enfant inutile,_" Esme sighed. "Do you need help?"

Noah quickly nodded and shoved the papers in her direction as she sat at the seat on the other side of his desk.

"Okay, these are going to be completely and utterly random," Esme muttered, scratching some things into the page. After about five minutes where Esme worked, she shoved the paper at him.

He looked it over, smiling slightly at the sight of her elegant handwriting a few misspellings. While Esme could speak fluent English, she couldn't exactly write it.

"Looks good." Noah said, smiling at Esme thankfully.

Esme just rolled her eyes and walked out of the door, a small smile playing on her lips.

"Thank you!" Noah called after her.

She gave him the middle finger in reply, and he couldn't help but laugh.

* * *

Kalea looked around nervously. Being around all of these people made her anxious, and she would really rather be with Serena, her best friend, or running or skiing or reading or a million things other than being here.

But, she had joined the Selection and she was going to stick to it.

And Serena gave her $50 bucks to join, and had said Kalea wasn't going to do it.

Kalea, on account of that, swore she would do it.

"Please take a seat," a female voice with a very thick French accent spoke. Kalea looked up on the stage (they were in an elegant auditorium type room) and saw none other than the younger princess of France, with her thick blonde hair pulled back into a French braid (haha.) she had on a light pink dress that dragged on the floor and had a very low neckline, along with a delicate silver crown that winked in the light.

Kalae did as Princess Esme instructed, sitting in the nearest seat. She silently watched as the thirty-four other girls did the same.

She still couldn't really believe she was there. At the Selection.

Once all the girls were seated, Princess Esme cleared her throat and started talking. "I'm Princess Esme, as I'm sure you all know. No- Prince Noah, that is, asked if I could say a few things and run over some ground rules while you're here. First, you will be divided into five groups of seven girls, and you will be eating together, getting ready for special events together, and going through lessons together. Which brings me to my next point," Esme continued, "you all will be taking lessons on how to behave properly while you're in the Selection. I will be teaching these lessons myself. Rule three and four, which coincide: you must be virgins, and must maintain your virginity throughout the Selection, which you already know, because it was on the form. I don't know why I had to tell you guys that."

At the word 'virgins' a snicker rose through the crowd. Everyone had heard that Esme slept with her boyfriend, Nigel West (son of Henry West, an important political leader) the week before. Kalea wasn't exactly sure if these rumors were true, but she did notice the red flush that spread up Esme's cheeks.

"Rule five involves no physically, mentally, or emotionally harming each other, under any circumstance. If you break this rule, you may be kicked out. Next, you are not allowed to date anyone else while being the Selected, you belong the prince and the prince only. Also, you can't ask the prince out, he must ask you out." Esme sounded bored, and finally she just slammed the notecards down on the podium. "You guys already read this when you became the Selected, you really don't need to hear this part. Let's get onto announcing your groups." Esme announced airily.

Of course Kalea's group was last to be announced.

"And in Group Seven, we have: Grace Bennet, Marseille Pritchett, Leona Soladar, Kalea Zoric-Mahi'ai, and Naomi Donnelly," Kalea felt relieved to know who were in her group. She was also excited to get to know all of them.

And she was excited for the adventure ahead of her.

* * *

Catalina mentally recited the names of the girls in her group in her head.

Eloise Moreau, Madeleine Nixon, Sujin Martin, and-

Bella West.

The adopted daughter of Henry West, a very rich and very important politician.

Catalina went and found her group in their designated area (a few couches and chairs with the number '6' hanging over it.) and found her group. She spotted Bella right away, and quickly recognized Madeleine and Sujin. Sujin was a K-pop star an Madeleine Nixon- well, she speaks for herself.

Catalina had done her research, and the only one she really didn't know much about was this Eloise girl.

She took a seat in one of the chairs, which was surprisingly comfortable, and was about to start talking to the other four girls when Little Miss Princess Esme had to come over.

She hated that bitch.

Esme was such an annoying, bratty girl, and she was a slut too. Having your boyfriend being caught in your bed? Unbelievable. And completely unacceptable for a princess.

"Hello girls!" Esme said in that annoying French accent of hers. Catalina quickly fixed on the brightest fake smile she could muster and greeted the princess, trying to get Esme to warm up to her.

After all, Catalina wanted to win brownie points with Esme. There was clearly something going on between Esme and Noah, and the more Esme liked her, the better it was for Catalina.

Bella quickly stood up and gave Esme a hug, and Catalina took note of that.

This was going to be a tough war to fight.

* * *

Noah stretched out on his bed, and Esme, with shorts and a tank top on, did the same. She was looking very morose without her boyfriend at her side.

Esme had been dating Nigel for about six months, which was the longest relationship she'd ever been in. It's the longest relationship either of them had been in though, so he really couldn't judge.

"I just want to see Nigel," Esme whined, hugging her phone to her chest. It was a long day, for both of them, and you could see it in the exhaustion in their face.

"Then see Nigel," Noah muttered. Esme sighed deeply, as though he was stupid.

"He's not allowed in the palace anymore, and I'm not allowed out of the palace," Esme sighed, her French accent thicker than normal because of her being sleep deprived.

"Well sneak out," Noah said, as if that answered all her questions. Esme sighed again.

"I'm too tired for that," Esme complained. Noah rolled his eyes, irritated.

"If you're too tired for that you should be complaining about being tired, you should be sleeping," Noah offered. Esme contemplated his offer before answering.

"That is a good idea. Good night." Esme said. Noah, expecting her to leave, rolled over and shut his eyes.

"Good night," He said, slowly drifting off to space. The last thing he remembered thinking was that Esme never left the room.

He fell asleep quickly, welcoming the silence.

**The next morning**

"What is this?" Noah heard his mother shriek. Noah sat up, blinking blearily, as he heard someone beside him do the same thing.

Oh right. Esme was still in his bed.

Uh oh.


	8. Chapter 8

**So finals are finally over and I'm so happy! I'm so sorry I've gone without an update so far. However, for the next few I hope to be updating very frequently. After school starts I'll hopefully will still be able to post more often, but I don't know because it's the start of the track season. But hopefully I'll try to update more frequently.**

**Sooo, without any further ado, the chapter!**

"I can explain, really, I can," Esme babbles, scrambling out of bed. Noah just sits up and glares at his mom, who wasn't even supposed to be in his room.

"Explain what?" Queen Delilah said, her soft voice a deadly whispers. "First, I find you in bed with that boy toy of yours, and now I find you in bed with my _son_! Who's next? My husband? You _bitch_!"

Esme's brown eyes hardened and she opened her mouth to say something when she was abruptly cut off my Delilah again.

"That's it! That's enough! I'm sending you back to France! This Royal Exchange bullshit is over!"

Noah's heart stopped. He didn't know what to do. Should he let his mom follow this statement through? He'd be able to see his sister...

But it might mean another war. And so many lives were lost in the last war, so...

Esme looked hopeful. And terrified. She knew she wasn't exactly loved in her country, and she'd miss Noah, but she got to see her sister again... She didn't really know what she wanted to happen.

"No." Noah decided. Delilah looked at him, her blue eyes glaring at him.

"I'm sorry?" She demanded. She was certainly used to her son disobeying her, but she wasn't used to him openly disobeying her. Her usual soft demeanor was gone, replaced with a very pissed off woman. Noah didn't know who his mom had turned into.

"I said, no." Noah reiterated. "By calling off the Royal Exchange, hundreds of thousands of people would die. And because why? Because you were pissed off Esme isn't the perfect image of what you expected her to be. So no, the Royal Exchange is not over," Noah snapped.

Delilah gasped, outraged. "Your father will hear about this-"

Noah, smug, just smirked. "Oh I'm sure Dad will be very happy to hear you called Princess _Esme_ a bitch. If the queen of New France heard about it, I'm sure she'd just be so ecstatic! She might even give the whole country a little gift, and you'd be the cause of it. Everyone would just love it so much!"

Esme took a deep breath, happy that Noah had made a decision. She had to agree that this was the right decision.

"Are you _threatening_ me?" Delilah gasped. Noah frowned, picking up a cup and inspecting it. He knew how much his mom loved the love of attention, and was using it against her.

"Yes, actually. Don't tell anyone about this and we won't have a problem. Leave." He ordered, and Delilah, eyes wide with terror, left the room.

* * *

Naomi looked down at her paint splattered jeans. She was in jeans and a tshirt, and she wasn't sure that was the right decision. Most of the other girls were all dressed up, with full faces of makeup. It didn't really make sense to Naomi because they were changing their clothes and getting makeovers anyways so they could meet the prince.

The prince. She was really nervous to meet him. She had a bit of a crush on him, to be honest, but was also actually excited to meet him. He was kinda sorta adorable.

"Hello, I'm Kelly, I'm one of your maids," A young women with bright brown eyes said, walking over to where Naomi was sitting. "Today I'll be fixing you up a bit, okay?" Naomi nodded and looked down at her jeans.

A while later, Kelly snapped Naomi out of the daze she had fell into. She was thinking about the Selection, and her dad, who ultimately had convinced her to go to the Selection, her siblings, and her friends.

"All done," Kelly smiled. Naomi looked at herself in the mirror, and was shocked.

She was mostly shocked because she still looked like herself. She was expecting to look like a completely different person, when she... didn't.

Her hair was cut a little and she had makeup on, but she didn't really change.

"Come with me," Kelly ordered, and Naomi did as she said. Kelly walked over to a rack of clothes, and unveiled a beautiful dress. It was yellow with lace, and flared out at the end. It was very artsy and fit Naomi's personality perfectly.

Now, it was time to meet the prince.

* * *

Noah was pondering why on earth is mother acted so weirdly earlier. Sure she was a little mad that him and Esme were so close, but he had never seen her like that. That was so out of character for her...

Esme walked into the room, her heels clicking on the ground. "The first group is ready. I'm sending them in," she stated, and then walked out of the room. Noah carefully arranged himself on his chair and messed up his hair before putting his heavy crown on.

He took a deep breath. This was it. The official start of the Selection.

Group Seven walked in first, and the five girls quietly took seats on the various chairs and couches. He had three minutes to talk to them all. Three minutes. He could do this.

"Hello," he started, and mentally cursed himself for being so lame. He was better than this, he knew how to talk to girls. Why was he all nervous all the sudden? "I'm sure you all know enough about me," Noah chuckled, and a few of the girls giggled nervously with him. "But I would like to get to know all of you." Wow. He was so lame. He couldn't get over the fact _that he was so lame._

Awkward silence. This was going to be a long day.

"Well," I'm Marseille Pritchett," A girl with dirty blonde hair cut just above her shoulders introduced herself. She had this aura of confidence around her, and Noah made eye contact with her, trying to convey how grateful he was that she spoke up. "And I'm a med student." She finished.

"What are you going to med school for?" He asked, trying to show the other girls that if they'll just talk to him, he'll talk back.

"I want to be a surgeon," Marseille answered. Noah nodded, and moved onto the next girl. She had blonde hair and bright blue eyes, but the most noticeable thing about her was the white streak in her hair.

"I'm Grace Bennet," she said softly. She was shy, that was kinda cute and endearing. "I'm a stage manager."

"So, you direct plays and stuff right?" Noah asked. She nodded, and he nodded back.

He moved onto the next girl, who looked like she was from Polynesian descent.

"I'm Kalea Zoric-Mahi'ai," She said. "I just graduated Aerospace Engineering a few months ago and taking a gap year before I go to work or get my PhD."

"Woah," Noah said, stunned. "How old are you?"

"Twenty-one," Kalea said confidently. Noah smiled, looking shocked.

"Wow, you're like, really smart." And then Noah mentally facepalmed. He quickly moved onto the next girl.

"I'm Naomi-" she started, before Esme walked into the room.

"Sorry to interrupt," she said apologetically, "but the three minutes are up." Noah looked at Naomi and the other nameless girl.

"I'll talk to you two later," he called as they left the room. One group down, six to go.

The next group of girls, Group Six, walked into the room. He smirked at Bella as she walked in. He seriously could not believe she entered the Selection. Out of that group, there was a redhead, three brunettes, and one very pale blonde.

"Well, to get this started, I'm Bella West," Bella announced, as soon as the girls sat down. And then she smirked "as I'm sure you all know." Bella was very confident, it seemed. She had no reason to be intimidated or nervous, after all. He'd known her for most of his life. One of the girls caught his eye, and turned his attention to her.

"Hey, I think I've seen you at one of my parent's stupid parties before. I don't know how I forgot someone as beautiful as you's name, but I somehow managed to do that." Noah told this girl with insanely dark, curly hair. He mentally patted himself on the back. Finally, he got his game back.

"I'm Madeleine. Madeleine Nixon," She said quietly. She seemed very well put together, as was expected from a Nixon.

"Ah, that explains it." Noah said. Before he could say anything else, the redheaded girl turned to one of the brunettes.

"Hey, aren't you Destiny? Like, one of the famous k-pop singers?" The redheaded asked. He turned his attention to them next. The girl, Destiny smiled at her.

"Yeah, I am. Wh-" before Destiny could finish, the redhead cut her off again.

"Wasn't your group like, covered in scandal?" the redhead asked. Bella shot the redhead a glare, and then a sympathetic look at the taken aback Destiny.

"Wait, wait wait. I don't remember about a Destiny?" Noah interrupted before the redhead could continue.

"My stage name is Destiny. My real name is Sujin Désirée Martin." Sujin, formally named Destiny, explained. Noah nodded his understanding. Sujin seemed like a very carefree girl, quickly shaking off the redhead's comments.

"I know Bella, Madeleine, and now Sujin, but what about you two?" He smiled at the remaining two girls. They both smiled back, although the redheaded girl smiled wider.

"I'm Catalina Perez," the redhead answered. Noah smiled back as Catalina turned to Sujin. "Also, I'm really sorry if I upset you earlier. I was really curious. I'm a big fan of your music, and just wanted to know if you guys are going to have any more albums soon. That's still not a reason to make you uncomfortable. I'm really sorry," Catalina apologized.

"Oh, it's no problem!" Sujin accepted the apology. Noah looked at the last girl, who was just watching all of this silently. She noticed him staring and blushed.

"I'm Eloise," She introduced herself. Another French name. Interesting. His eyes met her bright green ones.

"A pretty name for a pretty girl," he said, and just at that moment, Esme bursted in.

"I'm sorry, but the three minutes are now up. Group Five will be in in just a minute."

**Okay! Finally done! Whew! I hope I portrayed all of your girls well, I'm sorry if I didn't. If I didn't, please let me know so I can fix it in the future. Please review to let me know what you think of the chapter! Adios, until next chapter!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Sup. Welcome to another chapter. I'm really trying to give everyone equal screen time, I promise. It's just hard trying to juggle these characters, because there are parts now I really want to do for certain characters and then parts other places where I really want to use other characters. I'm doing my best, promise.**

**Leona's POV**

Leona was in the kitchen, baking.

She just couldn't help herself. She just really loved baking. She even dropped a caste to be able to be a baker.

"Oh hello," she heard someone say behind her. Leona turned, shocked. It was 5 in the morning, the only people down here was staff, and none of them really talked to her. Leona recognized the girl as Kalea, one of the girls in her group.

"Oh, hi!" Leona greeted her, continuing to add ingredients to the bowl without looking. It was a skill she had picked up, having to talk to Amara, the co-owner of her teahouse.

"I'm sorry to barge in on you, I just was exploring the castle and saw you, and wanted to come and say hi. What're you baking?" Kalea asked, peering into the bowl. Leona showed her the recipe.

"Chocolate chip muffins. I really don't like being served, and I really enjoy baking." Leona explained. Kalea nodded knowingly. Kalea seemed very nice, and very friendly. She seemed much more comfortable one on one than she did in the meeting with the prince yesterday, or even when they were all together in a group. "Once I'm finished with them, do you want some? They won't take long to bake."

"Yeah, that would be pretty nice!" Kalea quickly agreed. Leona quickly finished up the muffins and got them into a muffin pan and put them in the oven. They were chatting when they heard a loud crash. They both froze, and looked at each other, wide eyed.

"What was that?" Leona whispered to Kalea. They heard shouting in the distance, and the shouting got closer. They stared out the kitchen door, both frozen in place. Kalea started to sneak toward the door, curiosity overtaking her.

"What are you thinking?!" They both heard someone roar. The shouting continued to get closer and closer. Eventually, the people shouting were right outside the kitchen door. To both of their shock, it was Prince Noah and King Julius. Noah was clearly intoxicated.

"I just wanted to have fun!" Noah argued with his dad, crossing his arms and leaning back. He looked like he was about to fall straight on his back.

"You are twenty years old! Far to old for this behavior!" Julius shouted at Noah. Noah just frowned. And then Julius continued "You are having a Selection! You are supposed to devote yourself to those thirty-five girls, not some random one off the street!" Kalea agreed, he was going to be future king one day, he should start acting like it.

The timer on the oven went off, and both Noah and King Julius turned. Julius looked mad.

"How long have you two been here?!" He shouted at them this time. Noah stumbled to block Julius's view of the two girls.

"Dad, back off." He spat. Julius glared at him.

"You need to eliminate them immediately!" Julius ordered his son coldly. Leona's stomach dropped. She didn't want to be eliminated, she just got here!

"NO!" Noah shouted back. "It's not their fault I sneaked out, and that you're yelling at me! Leave them alone, they were just-" Noah turned to the two girls. "What were you doing?" His voice seemed much more calm when he talked to them, though his speech was a bit slurred.

"Baking muffins," both girls replied in unison. The made eye contact and would have smiled at each other if the circumstances were different.

"Baking muffins!" Noah continued, and then turned to them again. "What kind?"

"Chocolate chip," Leona answered immediately, and then looked down at as the king glared at her.

"Baking chocolate chip muffins!" Noah continued, his voice louder again. "It. Is. Not. Their. Fault." He reiterated. Julius sighed, looking pissed.

"Fine," he hissed, "keep your two girls. But if I hear so much as one peep out of you two about this, you're gone. Do you understand?" He thundered. Both girls nodded earnestly. Julius stormed off.

"I'm sorry," Noah said, taking a muffin before stumbling off to who knows where. Both girls just stood there, wide eyed, processing what just happened.

"That... Was very interesting?" Kalea said, and they both started laughing. They quickly ate their muffins and left the room together, not wanting to be there in case Julius came back.

* * *

**Noah's POV**

Noah was sitting on his bed, on his phone. This time his dad was mad at him, not his mom. He rubbed his head, trying to fight a headache. The headache was painful, but not too bad.

His phone buzzed.

**Isabella**: Mom and Dad are mad at you again..

**Noah:** yeah... I know.

**Isabella:** What did you do this time?

**Noah:** I snuck out and partied last night.

**Isabella:** Of course you did.

**Noah:** And now they want me to eliminate two girls who saw the whole thing

**Noah:** And that's not happening, they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

**Isabella:** Ah, I see. Well, you should not be partying but don't eliminate those two girls, that's not fair to them. I have to go now, I'll text you later.

Noah sighed and checked the time. It was almost 12, which was when the girls got out of the stupid 'etiquette lessons' or as he called them, the princess lessons. He needed to eliminate some girls. So he got out of bed and walked all the way into the Women's Room, knocking on the door. One of the maids let him in, as he couldn't technically go into the room without a maid's permission.

The room quickly fell into a hush as all the girl stared at him, wondering why he was there. Esme just glared at him, looking annoyed, and then he realized that it was before 12, so technically she was still teaching. Oh well, she could finish afterwards.

"Hello, your highness," Esme said drily, getting up to curtsy. All the girls quickly followed suit. "What is so important that you came before the etiquette lessons were finished?" She asked, sarcasm dripping from her words.

"Well, as is customary for the Selection, I am going to eliminate some of the girls after meeting them. If I call your name, you are eliminated. If you name is not called, you are clearly not eliminated, and will remain here." Noah explained. He looked down at he list in his hands, and started to read off names. "Celyn Moore, Kristen Webster, Ela Baxter, Ella Douglas, and Georgia Whittle." Noah only chose five girls to eliminate because he thought it was stupid to eliminate a whole bunch of girls after the first meeting. After all, he barely had gotten to know them. He did eliminate those girls because those girls were all very rude to him or the other girls.

"Kalea and Leona, walk with me," he called. The two girls, looking shocked, got up and walked with him. "This won't take very long," Noah said, stopping right outside the Women's room. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry for what happened this morning. That was so horrible of my dad to take that out on you guys, considering you two didn't do anything. I won't eliminate you guys over something as stupid as that. If I'm going to eliminate you, it will be for a reason. So that's really all I wanted to say. Thanks for coming out here," he said, and then walked away. Both girls looked at each other, not knowing what to do. Kalea just shrugged and walked back inside the Women's Room, and Leona quickly followed suit.

* * *

**Eloise's POV**

"I wonder what that was all about? Catalina asked as the two girls that Noah called out of the room walked back in. Eloise couldn't help but noticed that Catalina seemed very jealous. Catalina was hiding it very well, but she was still jealous.

"Oh, basically his dad got all pissy about Noah sneaking out last night and they saw it." Bella said offhandedly, looking at her phone. She seemed a little smug to know this information.

"How do you know Noah snuck out?" Catalina asked curiously. All the girls in the circle looked up, varying degrees of curiosity on their faces.

"Well, one, Esme told me, and two, it's all over the internet." Bella explained, showing the group an article on her phone.

"Being in the public eye is tough," Catalina remarked. "I don't know how you guys do it. I mean, one little slip up and it's all over the place," Catalina said, looking straight at Sujin. Sujin made eye contact with Catalina.

"Once you're in it for awhile, you get used to it," Bella said airily. Eloise looked at her. Bella seemed so carefree and confident. All the time.

"Well, we're not used to it just yet," Catalina laughed, looking at Eloise and smiling. "But hopefully we'll get used to it," she said, laughing. Eloise blushed, looking down.

"Well, we are," Bella said, motioning to Madeleine and Sujin. Madeleine, who had been quiet until now, looked up.

"It's not too bad, really," she assured the girls. Of course it wasn't bad for her. Madeleine was viewed by the public as 'the good Nixon' and was very calm and complacent.

Catalina looked at Eloise. "What were you doing before the Selection, anyways?"

"I was going to college," Eloise answered. "What about you?" She asked Catalina.

Catalina's expression quickly soured and Eloise immediately regretted asking the question.

"I was a maid." Catalina answered shortly. Eloise looked down. The chatter in the group quickly stopped and the five fell silent without Catalina to ask them questions and keep up the constant chatter. Eloise wondered why Catalina answered so negatively. There was nothing wrong with being a maid, she shouldn't be ashamed. Eloise felt like there was a lot more to Catalina than what meets the eye, and not in a good way. She had a feeling the redhead was nothing but trouble. How Catalina reacted to certain things just wasn't right...

* * *

**Esme's POV**

Esme turned on her favorite song, Femme Fatale. And then she went to the group chat she had with Dominique, Noah, and Isabella. She didn't know what time it was there, but she honestly didn't care.

**Esme:** hi

**Noah:** HI

**Dominique:** what do you want?

**Esme:** im bored

**Noah:** Me too

**Dominique:** aren't you guys supposed to be asleep right now?

**Esme:** im supposed to be a lot of things

**Noah:** But I live to dissapoint

**Isabella:** You guys should really go to sleep, you really need your sleep.

**Noah:** We're not two

**Esme:** i think you mean im not two, but you def are lol

**Noah:** Shut the fuck up

**Esme:** i think someones cranky

**Noah:** At least I can use apostrophes and know what a capital letter is

**Esme:** shut up.

**I feel like I'm writing Noah getting into trouble a lot, but that's kinda how he is. He just like doesn't care and is constantly breaking the rules. But still, it's getting really annoying lol I'm sorry. It won't be near as often anymore, I promise.**

**Also, I know the text message thingys aren't very plot relevant but I like writing them they're very fun. if anyone has any ways to do that outside of writing them in chapters so i can post them on my Pinterest board and whatnot, that would be greatly appreciated.**

**Also, a special thanks to Slytherwitch for helping me write this chapter!**

**Thanks for reading, until next time!  
**


End file.
